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Hell Hounds
|rarity = Common |casting_cost = |upkeep_cost = per turn |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = +10% To Hit Fire Breath 3 }} Hell Hounds are a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. They belong to the , and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. Although their attack stats are not impressive on their own, each made by this unit is preceded by a formidable that can kill its enemies before they even have a chance to retaliate. This also allows the Hell Hounds to attack Flying units. The Fantastic Unit Physical Description A Hell Hound is a twisted, demonic canine creature from the bowels of the . Much larger than a common dog or even a wolf, a Hell Hound's teeth are as sharp as swords, and it has the ability to breathe out a blast of flame much like a dragon would. The Hell Hounds unit is a , containing up to 4 of these creatures. Attack Properties The Hell Hounds possess a relatively light Melee Attack, which delivers per Hound. With their innate bonus, each Hell Hound delivers about on average. This puts them on par with low/mid-tier Normal Units. However, when performing a Melee Attack against an enemy unit, the Hell Hounds first deliver a Breath Attack that is equally strong - per Hound, with , causing about on average. Because this attack occurs before Melee Damage is dealt, any enemy it manages to kill off will not be able to deliver their own Melee Damage in retaliation (during their Counter Attack). This means that, when attacking other low-level units, Hell Hounds are relatively safe, and may eliminate an entire enemy unit without taking any damage. Note that this Breath Attack delivers Fire Damage, and thus is useless against creatures who are Immune to Fire. Also note that the Hell Hounds only use this attack when actively assaulting an enemy unit, and never while retaliating to an enemy's assault. As an added bonus, possessing a Breath Attack allows Hell Hounds to attack Flying targets - ignoring the normal rules about "Ground vs. Air" combat restrictions. Defensive Properties Hell Hounds are defensively weak - roughly on par with low/mid-tier Normal Units. Their Defense rating is only per figure, and each Hell Hound has only , meaning that they can easily be destroyed during combat. With a Resistance score of , Hell Hounds are not very resistant to enemy curses and other ill effects. They are especially vulnerable to any spells or effects that impose a Resistance penalty. Other Properties Hell Hounds are rather quick. They have a Movement Allowance of , which lets them quickly close the distance with their enemies. More importantly, this quick speed allows them to maneuver and make a sudden attack their enemies with their powerful Fire Breath, and retreat to safety afterwards. Tactics Hell Hounds are some of the best early-game Fantastic Creatures, with versatility and power easily outweighing their remarkably low Casting and Upkeep costs. They can be summoned in droves very early in the game, making fantastically powerful armies all on their own: both fast-moving and deadly. However, to utilize their abilities properly, careful maneuvering may be required. Make sure to always have your Hell Hounds attack the enemy during your own turn, and avoid being attacked during the enemy's turn. This is because the powerful Fire Breath attack is only used when the Hell Hounds initiate a Melee Attack, and never when Counter Attacking. If you can maneuver properly to take advantage of this, Hell Hounds can be surprisingly powerful. Furthermore, because they can attack Flying creatures, Hell Hounds may easily be grouped together into large, powerful stacks that do not require other support units. This is the basis to some of the most successful tactics for wizards. Enemy Hell Hounds Hell Hounds are surprisingly common, and may be found in many Chaos Nodes, sometimes in large groups or coupled with stronger Chaos creatures - especially Gargoyles. Hell Hounds are also common as Rampaging Monsters that occasionally issue out of these nodes. During the early game, combat against Hell Hounds - especially large numbers of them - is practically suicidal. Most units will be destroyed by the Fire Breath attack, and deliver no damage to the Hounds at all. To work around this, use fast-moving units of your own to maneuver so that the Hell Hounds never (or rarely) manage to get in a voluntary Melee Attack. Keep them retaliating to your own attacks, and they will be no tougher to kill than most mid-tier Normal Units. Once you get stronger units, consider employing plenty of Ranged Attack units and using lots of magic. Hell Hounds are weak against both of these. Ability Overview +10% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every attack. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Fire Breath 3 * Whenever this unit makes a Melee Attack against an enemy target, it also delivers a Fire Damage Breath Attack with a strength of per . * As a Breath Attack, this damage is delivered before the enemy gets the chance to retaliate. Any in the target unit that are killed by the attack do not get to deliver any Melee Damage. * This Breath Attack does not occur when the unit is Counter Attacking against an enemy assailant. * This effect does nothing against targets possessing the Magic Immunity or Fire Immunity abilities. The Summoning Spell Usage Hell Hounds may only be cast on the overland map, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon casting, the new Hell Hounds unit will appear in the town currently containing the caster's Summoning Circle. The new unit is created with full Movement Points, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. To keep the Hell Hounds in play, it is necessary to pay an Upkeep Cost of only per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's Mana pool each turn. Failure to pay the required costs due to lack of in the pool will lead to the Hell Hounds being immediately destroyed, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting them. If the unit is destroyed in combat, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Costs. You can also dismiss the Hell Hounds voluntarily. To do this, right-click the unit's icon and then press the red "Dismiss" button on the bottom right corner of the unit's details panel. A dismissed unit is gone forever, but of course you can always cast the Hell Hounds spell again to get a fresh new one. The primary reason to dismiss a Fantastic Creature would be to remove its Upkeep Cost (conserving as a result). Acquisition As a Common spell, Hell Hounds may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least one Spellbook. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least Spellbooks. Customized Wizards possessing up to Spellbooks at creation time may choose this spell as one of their default spells before starting the game, in which case the spell will already be researched and available for casting immediately on the first turn. Wizards with Spellbooks are guaranteed to have this spell available for casting as soon as the game begins. Wizards with or fewer Spellbooks who have not chosen Hell Hounds as a guaranteed spell have a random chance of being able to Research it. The chance for this spell to appear increases with the number of Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. With Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research if it is not already available for casting. Hell Hounds has a base Research Cost of . With at least Spellbook, the Hell Hounds spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell. Category:Units Category:Fantastic Creatures Category:Chaos